Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 4.9 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1995–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 4.9.
That represents a change of up 12.3% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 8.69 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 3.66, in 2019.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 49th of 78 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 8.69 | — |
| 1996 | 8.19 | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 7.07 | -13.6% |
| 1998 | 6.2 | -12.4% |
| 1999 | 6.04 | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 5.56 | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 4.7 | -15.5% |
| 2002 | 5.04 | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 4.81 | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 4.59 | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 4.54 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 5.31 | +16.8% |
| 2007 | 5.2 | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 5.63 | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 7.56 | +34.4% |
| 2010 | 7.82 | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 8.05 | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 7.91 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 7.55 | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 6.12 | -18.9% |
| 2015 | 5.33 | -12.9% |
| 2016 | 4.82 | -9.6% |
| 2017 | 4.34 | -10.0% |
| 2018 | 4.14 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 3.66 | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 4.52 | +23.5% |
| 2021 | 4.87 | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 3.77 | -22.5% |
| 2023 | 4.03 | +6.8% |
| 2024 | 4.36 | +8.3% |
| 2025 | 4.9 | +12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.24 | 6.04 | 8.69 | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.29 | 4.54 | 7.56 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.97 | 3.66 | 8.05 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.41 | 3.77 | 4.9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 46 Fiji 5.36 compare
- 47 Dominican Republic 5.17 compare
- 48 Indonesia 4.91 compare
- 50 Brunei Darussalam 4.87 compare
- 51 Croatia 4.85 compare
- 52 Switzerland 4.84 compare
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 4.9 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 8.69 in 1995.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.66 in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 49th out of 78 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.